Life on Our Dynamic Planet: Earth's Past, Present, and Future

Life on Our Dynamic Planet explores a wide range of phenomena, from the formation of clouds, snow, and glaciers to the mechanisms behind hurricanes, droughts, and monsoons. It explains why the tropics are warm and humid, why deserts form in subtropical zones, and why temperate regions experience distinct seasonal patterns. Readers will gain insight into the structure and behavior of the land-ocean-atmosphere system and how it influences the distribution of life on Earth. Special attention is given to the feedback between climate and biology, demonstrating how living systems both respond to and shape their physical environment.

Jessica Gurevitch is an ecologist whose research spans the life of forests and grasslands, the effects of climate on the living world, and statistical methods in ecology. She has co-authored a major textbook in plant ecology and has written many scientific papers. She was a professor at Stony Brook University for many years before joining Purdue University as a Distinguished Professor. Her work is widely recognized for advancing ecological methodology and interdisciplinary approaches to environmental science.

Peter M. Groffman is a Professor at the City University of New York, affiliated with the Advanced Science Research Center, the Graduate Center's Earth and Environmental Sciences Program, and Brooklyn College. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. His research focuses on climate impacts on ecosystem biogeochemical processes, particularly carbon and nitrogen cycles. Groffman has served as a Convening Lead Author for the 2013 U.S. National Climate Assessment and contributed to multiple IPCC assessment reports.

Kevin A. Reed is a Professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. He leads the Climate Extremes Modeling Group, which investigates how extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, may evolve under climate change. His work supports the development of methodologies to translate cutting-edge climate science into actionable insights for adaptation and policy.